Tuesday, 28 April 2015

Hi
Thats it Liverpool has been left behind. Back to familiar ground, Westayed one night at Scarisbrick where we had the company of our Kieth and Carol for the day, which was a very happy surprise, I managed to get the little paint job that I had promised to do and returned a paint job I had taken with me so I am now a free man with no outstanding jobs. Heading now for Manchester unfortunately we have a funeral to attend next week so Manchester is quite convenient for us especially as its a bank holiday weekend and we can guarantee loads of visitors. Lets hope we can find a mooring. passing through Plank lane today there were 7 permanently moored boats where once there was none all moored on the waiting moorings for the lift bridge I have a strong feeling that Castlefield will be the same, as more people are living on the canal moorings are becoming to be in very short supply However why do people not use Marina's or permanent moorings. I know they are expensive but this just dossing about will eventually be the down fall of our accepted life style.
Enough each to their own. Sorry about the rant.
We are hoping for better weather tomorrow because yesterday and today has been diabolical from here it can only get better. Last night whilst moored at Crook I saw a deer come down to the canal for a drink But as always with these things I was to late with the camera

The Disused Lock at Dean Lock

Bronze statue at Wigan

Be careful coming out of the last lock from Wigan

How many more running lines will this takes. I recon it has had 150 years of wear

Saturday, 25 April 2015

In the words of the great sea shanty “Its not the leaving of Liverpool
the grieves me” but the awful weather conditions that we did it in.

Last night we had a bit of a DO on buggerlugs we had Steph Phil and Emily onboard for dinner a great night and a fitting end to our stay

Leaving Albert Dock was great nice sun rise and a warm wind
but by the time we reach the first Lock it was raining with a strengthening
colder wind and that’s how it was until we moored up at 14.00 hrs being wet and
cold. Except for the weather everything was with today we did the whole trip took five hours so that was cutting 90 mins off the inward trip easy once you have done it and got the lay of the land/water in your head

However not to put a dampener on what has been a remarkable visit to Liverpool, we
are now moored about 4 miles outside Magul the rain stopped about 18.00hrs and
the wind died down an hour later, we have just witnessed a most spectacular
sunset so all is well with the world We will be in Scarisbrick by lunch
tomorrow where I have a job to do on a boat. The weather for the next 4 days
looks quite grim but we will start off
again on Monday heading towards Manchester
and all going to plan should be in by Thursday see you all soon

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

Today we all took a walk in the past and took the Mersey Ferry
to New Brighton just crossing the water on the ferry to Seacombe then the 2.5
mile walk to New Brighton but what a walk its right along the shore line, its flat with no traffic, the weather today was
fantastic you would have thought we where in Spain on the esplanade New
Brighton was a revelation it was clean
nice shops plenty of places to eat, fantastic views towards Crosby and Formby,
you also get the added excitement of the ships passing towards the Bar and out
into the Irish sea all in all a fantastic day. However we had glorious weather
what it would be like with two kids in the rain that’s a different matter.

I have just bedecked the boat with bunting ready for tomorrow, St Georges day I intended to put more out but I have left a lot in my Flag locker on the Marina but I am flying the flag and by doing it early many other boats have been encouraged to do the same (plenty of flags on sale in Liverpool) I hope I have started the trend.

Friday, 17 April 2015

Liverpool is such a diverse city, now coming from a Mancunian
this piece about how wonderful Liverpool is may sound strange I know and love
my birth city and consider it to be the best in Britain
however Liverpool has its merits. Our mooring
here is just below the main gates to Albert dock we couldn't be more central. It’s a great place to visit by boat, just
imagine how much a 10 day stay in a central hotel would cost, and we get it
free.

Yesterday was a big walking day we visited the Catholic
Cathedral which is for those who do not know its one of the highest points of
the city. As all readers of the Blog know Noreen and I love our religious
buildings. Although very beautiful in its own right I am not the greatest advocate
of modern places of worship, I feel they lack an awe about them, that’s just me
as far as the beauty goes Liverpool cathedral
is a magnificent example of a modern place of worship. We even had time to take
part in Mass which was very nice and it always calms my soul. Matthew was also
in Liverpool yesterday on business so he collected us outside the cathedral and
drove us back to the Dock Having had lunch Mat headed for home and we set off
again, I needed to get a couple of decent art brushes as I have brought work
with me and Im running out of brushes. Again we set off up hill to the art shop
which is on Bold street, now every town has a Bold street where every shop is
weirder than the its neighbour but absolutely fabulous just very small outlets
selling everything from candles to car-parts, Tattoos to Table cloths, Josh sticks
to Jumpers, there is a lot of new development going on so lets just hope that
the street can remain an oasis of private individual enterprise.

Back to the waterfront which is my favourite place I have a
very vivid imagination I can see, hear it, smell it 100 years ago, the place
full of ships coming and going on every tide transferring cargo onto barges for
transport to Wigan Leeds Manchester Chester Birmingham, there must have been
every language spoken around here and every British dialect. Looking at the
wear on some of the cobbles and the stone work it must have been real hard
graft for the bargees, sailors, stevedores, carters and so on. I probably have
made it sound very romantic but always remember the poverty, child mortality
rate, poor wages and bad conditions that
takes away some of the romanticism.

We went to Weatherspoons last night with John and Kath (
thurs night Curry and a pint £6.00) that’ll do me.

I love it no matter what city it is they are a melting pot
of its inhabitants, I am a people watcher I just love people creed, colour, ethnic
origin no matter I just love them all, I would love to be a linguist and talk
to every one, I an restricted to very poor Arabic, incoherent Swahili,
unspeakable French and not bad German but non of them are fluent oh how I wish
they were.

Just a few pics of the last two days I am sure I will have a
funny story to tell soon for tomorrow Noreen and I are on a shopping expedition
that always causes some chaos to somebody

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Cruising along the L&L west ward towards Liverpool at the beginning of April was a little
ambitious for leaving our mooring at 08.30 it was extremely cold and
windy with dark clouds looming.

Though the L&L is so pretty this time of years with
everything coming into bloom, Birds Nesting, young Lambs bouncing, and farmers doing
what ever they do, these days it would appear they make a lot of noise no
matter what they do. As you pass through Burscough you are drawn to the
staggering amount of agriculture that is all around you, acre after acre
everywhere you look is cornucopia of fields with every type of vegetable, this
area is of course renown for its Potatoes, Onions, Leeks, something maybe not known to you is the lawn grass that is grown in the area hundreds of acres of the best turf in
Britain.

As you glide through the farming villages of Scarisbrick,
Halsall, Haskane, and many more you understand why this area is called the vege
basket of Britain.
The canal is good well maintained and pretty, at this time of year very little
traffic and moorings are plentiful. And as from Parbold to Liverpool
there are no locks that’s about 30miles of lock free canal however there are plenty of swing
bridgesto attend to. I would advise anyone to treat the swing bridges through Magul with care and after
9,00am and before 4 .30as a couple are quite busy roads. Noreen had one driver only just beat the barriers, and
one that didn’t ! which meant Noreen restarting the whole procedure with him sat between
two Barriers. Noreen as you know is far more Christian than I am. I would have swung the
bridge with him on; it though on second thoughts that would have done the bridge
more harm than the driver.

Form Hancocks that is just before Aintree race course all the swing Bridges to Albert Dock are controlled by CRT so that eliminates any road/canal rage.

Wednesday, the day we were entering Liverpool dawned dismal overcast and very wet the wind got up and made sailing difficult BUT as always we overcame the minor problems of weather and I insisted Noreen enjoy herself

The trip from Aintree right through to Albert dock is controlled by the CRT staff and volunteers this is so you get a straight through run through, what some people regard as difficult areas though I have never found it that way it just a run along a normal inercity canal the same as any other, The exciting part comes when you leave the last locks and go into the real docks starting with Stanley Dock, Collingwood Dock, Salisbury Dock, then Central Docks, taking our little craft through the Docks where once great cargo ships would load and unload tons of imports and exports it was quite I found it quite thrilling and Noreen steered Buggerlugs passed the iconic Liver Buildings which one has to admit is exciting ( well maybe not to you but to us old sea dogs IT WAS)

We are now on our mooring in Salthouse Dock where we will now stay for the next ten days exploring what this wonderful city has to offer.

Be Good

Buggerlugs

Sorry about the pictures it was a very overcast day and no time to re set camera settings

Sunday, 12 April 2015

OK Everyone

Having picked up our new car on Thursday I have now just
finished putting it in moth balls for the next six months, I have said before
that since the knock on my head in the dry dock I am completely disorganised, anyway if we do
need a car for emergencies we have now a brand new one AND NO! I do not need
anyone to run it in for me so forget that. But honest I did not realise we were
picking it up on thurs so weds guess what I did? you were right I filled the
old car that was for Part X with a full tank of petrol which was almost as much
as I got for the bloody.

Tomorrow is the day we set sail (actually we have no sails
but it sounds very nautical) and I have now got my sailors head on. Noreen and
I will pull out of the marina hopefully about 08.30 / 09.00 with our companion
boat Orion with John and Kath on board sailing along with us in convoy, keeping
a close eye out for U-

boats along the L&L into Liverpool

The weather isn't sounding too good so the seven locks up to
Burscough will be a tester, though I have been moving other boats up the locks
for the past month so I hope I am well practiced?? From Burscough we will be
heading along the L&L passed Scarisbrick
then mooring overnight at Lydiat, Tues we have the busy swing bridges though Magul and moving on Hancocks bridge No 9 to await our passage
though Bootle into Liverpool docks on
Wednesday morning .

Having missed last years trip due to Hospital appointments
and a bit of internal re-plumbing we are
really looking forward to this years trip, it’s one we have done before so I am
hoping that we will not have any surprises awaiting us along the way ?? It will
be nice to meet up with all our boating friends and of course non boating
friends. Though travelling by boat can sometimes be strenuous it is also so
very relaxing. Travelling by boat as we will be until Aug, and living on a boat
in a Marina with a job, car and responsibilities, by the way I have no job and
no responsibilities (except grandchildren) Its Noreen who refuses to slow down The two
life styles are very different!!! but we
love them both.

Noreen and I love our travels so when we return to Rufford
in Late Aug we depart for Australia
on the 27th for about 8 weeks, I will be keeping everyone informed.

Stay watching this space for updates on our travels, or
check out alonthecanal.blogspot.com

I shall be giving a frank and honest guide to the new
Liverpool Link I am told that changes have been made I am interested to investigate just how slick
it is???

About Me

I had 23 years in the army retired came out in 1987 as a warrent Oficer, Foolishly I then Joined Sodexo and worked in the catering industry for 18 years until retiring in 2008. Noreen ran her own catering busness for 22 years and retired 6 months later. We sold the house and the business' designed our Narrow boat Had her fitted out out at Fettlers. and now live and have a very contented life style.
We enjoy all the good things in life.
Even if many people think we are mad, I reakon that in life sometimes you do have to be a little bit crazy and do crazy things otherwise you just die Old.
God Bless everyone who reads this stuff.